Paul Merson has admitted he was left stunned by Dominik Szoboszlai’s performance against Bournemouth at the weekend as Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners.
The Hungarian international (on a reported £120,000-a-week, according to Capology) enjoyed a productive outing against the Cherries, helping create the Reds’ third goal with a long-range shot that was spilt into the path of Diogo Jota.
“Wataru Endo could play in a midfield three for Liverpool, but the problem is that it’ll be his first game for the team, and I couldn’t think of a worse one than a game against Newcastle,” the Sky pundit told Sportskeeda.
“I would’ve played him against Bournemouth last week where Liverpool would dominate.
“I was very impressed with Dominik Szoboszlai the other day – I couldn’t believe how good he was.”
VOTE for Empire of the Kop as Best Club Content Creator (Premier League) here: Football Content Awards OR on X with Empire’s one-click X link with: I am voting in @The_FCAs for @empireofthekop in Best Club Content Creator (Premier League)
It was the manner in which the former RB Leipzig man helped take the game by the scruff of the neck, when Jurgen Klopp’s men were down to 10 men and had chucked new signing Wataru Endo on, that rightly attracted the eye.
READ MORE: David Ornstein wades in on Al-Ittihad’s Salah recruitment attempt with ‘unclear’ claim
READ MORE: Dejan Lovren weighs in on Salah exit fears as Al-Ittihad pitch Ronaldo-plus contract
We appreciate the Sky pundit’s concern over Wataru Endo in what will no doubt be a very tricky fixture against the 2022/23 season’s surprise package.
Despite a 1-0 loss to Manchester City, the Magpies can have few complaints over how they’ve kicked off their latest league campaign.
Another three points at St. James’ Park would be a huge victory in a tough opening trio of games on our end, though another aggressive start from our upcoming opponents (as we should expect after watching back highlights of Bournemouth’s first-half efforts) will prove difficult to stave off.
Whoever’s trusted to hold down the No.6 role will have a hard time of it, though it helps that our other two signings in Alexis Mac Allister and Szoboszlai already look smooth fits in the middle of the park.
#Ep86 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️